bulletin from Suffolk Trading Standards
We have been made aware of two very recent incidents of Suffolk residents who have been contact by someone purporting to be the Police.
In the first report the Suffolk resident received a call from a gentleman explaining that he was calling from Martlesham Police Station, and that all the lady’s money had been stolen from her bank account. He went on to explain that he was investigating and he required some information from her bank card.
The caller asked for the numbers of her card, including the security code on the bank. Thankfully this was not provided, but only because the Suffolk resident was unable to read the numbers.
In the second incident the Suffolk resident was contacted by someone purporting to be a Police Officer from Bedfordshire Police. The caller advised that he was investigating fraudsters and wanted the victim’s help with enquiries, and that she needed to withdraw cash from the bank. What made this more plausible was they advised they had a gentleman in custody who was claiming to be related to the resident, and they gave a name which was the same as her Grandson.
The fake Police Officer advised the victim to go to her bank and withdraw £5000 in cash, she was told to tell the teller at the bank that this was for “shopping and presents during the current crisis”. Upon arriving back home a courier arrived. She had been given a password to use by the fake Police Officer, and told to use this with the courier to make sure the money was not passed to another individual.
Later that afternoon the victim realised that she had been scammed.
This scam is known as the Courier Scam, with victims targeted across the Country.
Courier fraud occurs when a fraudster contacts victims by telephone purporting to be a police officer or bank official. To substantiate this claim, the caller might be able to confirm some easily obtainable basic details about the victim such as their full name and address.
The caller may also offer a telephone number for the victim to telephone or ask the victim to call the number on the back of their bank card to check that they are genuine. In these circumstances, either the number offered will not be genuine or, where a genuine number is suggested, the fraudster will stay on the line and pass the victim to a different individual.
Protect yourself!
• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call like this.
• If you need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to call your bank.
• Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.
• Your bank or the police will never call you to ask you to verify your personal details or PIN by phone or offer to pick up your card by courier. Hang up if you get a call like this.
• If you need to call your bank back to check, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to call your bank.
• Your debit or credit card is yours – don’t let a stranger take it off you. You should only ever have to hand it over at your bank. If it’s cancelled, you should destroy it yourself.
Spot the signs
• Someone claiming to be from your bank or local police force calls you to tell you about fraudulent activity but is asking you for personal information or even your PIN to verify who you are.
• They’re offering you to call back so you can be sure they’re genuine, but when you try to return the call there’s no dial tone.
• They try to offer you peace of mind by having somebody pick up the card for you to save you the trouble of having to go to your bank or local police station.
If you receive a similar call HANG UP!
Report all scams to us via 0808 223 1133.
If you’ve given your bank details over the phone or handed your card to a courier, call your bank straight away to cancel the card.